NRL confirms grand final path, raising fairness concerns as men's qualifiers shift to Friday evening and Sunday afternoon for second year.
The NRL have confirmed the path to the grand final across both the NRL and NRLW competitions, with concerns about an unfair advantage for the deciding match of the season created for a second year in a row.
For the second year in a row, the men's competition will see its grand final qualifiers played across Friday evening and Sunday afternoon.
Typically, recent decades have seen the matches played on a Friday and Saturday; however, 2025 saw a break from that tradition after the minor premiers - then the Canberra Raiders - opened the finals on a Sunday.
The same thing has happened this year, with the Penrith Panthers playing their opening final on a Sunday, while the second-placed New Zealand Warriors played on Saturday afternoon, given that time zones stopped them from opening the finals.